We Once Were Friends
by MaryFan1
Summary: This is my take on when Lou tells Mary in confidence that he spent the night with Sue Ann. She tells Murray and when Lou finds out it looks like their friendship is over but will an unexpected turn of events bring the two back together?
1. Chapter 1

"M. Grant, would you please open the door?" Mary asked standing outside Lou Grant's door

Murray was standing behind her, "Mary, I'm sorry."

"I know you are." Mary told him

Lou opened the door and glared then turned around back to his desk

Mary followed him in and shut the door, "Mr. Grant I…"

Lou sat at his desk looking at the rundown for the show, "We need to get a camera crew out to that protest."

"Mr. Grant…" she began again

Lou looked up, "Mary, I don't want to talk about it. I still respect you as a producer and want you to continue working here. We're just not friends anymore."

Mary sat down in the chair opposite him, "Mr. Grant, you don't mean that."

"I do mean it, Mary. I also don't want to talk about it anymore," he paused, "But I could say a lot. I could say how I feel about what you did to me. But I don't want to. From now on it's strictly business. Please respect me on this. Now, can we please get back to business?"

"Well, alright if that's how you want it, Mr. Grant." Mary said suppressing the tears she felt forming in her eyes.

"That's how I want it." Lou said

Mary cried all the way home that night. She couldn't eat dinner. All she did was lie in bed thinking about what Lou had said 'we're_ not friends anymore'. _ The coldness in his eyes startled her. She had always respected him as her boss but she treasured his friendship and now that appeared to be over. Rhoda and Phyllis had both moved away and now it seemed another friend had slipped away. The only difference was that Rhoda and Phyllis were still speaking to her. She cried herself to sleep praying for a way to make things right again.

**A WEEK LATER**

The previous week had been one of the worst Mary could remember. Lou had kept up his only business routine and she felt sick at her stomach all the time. A place she had loved to be was now the last place she wanted to be. She knew it was all her own doing. If she hadn't told Murray about Lou and Sue Ann this wouldn't be happening. He had every right to be angry. She walked into the newsroom and hung up her coat.

"Hi Mare." Murray said

"Hi Murray." She said sitting at her desk and putting her purse in the drawer

Murray had watched what was going on the whole week and felt responsible. He didn't mean to let it slip to Lou that Mary had told him, "Mary, I feel just awful about what happened. I just can't believe Lou is acting this way."

Mary smiled slightly, "It's not your fault. I should have kept it to myself like he asked," she paused looking over at his office door, "Is he in yet?"

"No, not yet." Murray said getting up to get a cup of coffee

Just then Lou walked through the door, "Morning"

"Morning, Lou." Murray said sitting back down

"Good Morning, Mr. Grant." Mary said as casually as she could

"Mary," he said as he walked in his office and shut the door

Mary's eyes lingered again on his door then she shifted her attention to the papers on her desk and tried not to cry, "So Murray how was your weekend?"

"Mary, are you alright?" He knew she wasn't

"Murray, I'm fine. Mr. Grant made his feelings clear and I have to respect that. But I have to get his signature on these forms. I don't even want to go in there." She got up and knocked on his door.

"Come in." Lou said

"Mr. Grant, I need to get your signature on these requisition forms, please." Mary explained setting them on his desk

He took them and quickly signed them, "Here you are."

"Thank you, Mr. Grant." She said turning to leave but she looked back

"Was there something else, Mary?" Lou asked

She started to try to talk to him but knew it would be a mistake. She just smiled, "No, sir. There's nothing else." She walked out of his office closing the door behind her

A few hours later Lou came out of his office, "Hey Murray, you wanna get some lunch?"

"Uh yeah sure Lou, just let me finish typing this paragraph." Murray responded

Mary sat silent reading over some budget figures as Murray finished, "Done," he said looking over at Mary, "Mare, you wanna go with us?"

She looked over at Lou who was stoic, "No, Murray, I don't think so."

Murray was hoping to get them to talk to each other again like they used to, "You sure?"

Mary waited to see if Lou gave her any sign he wanted her to come but none was forthcoming, "Yes, I'm sure. " She said then turned back to the budget

"Okay, well let's go, Lou." Murray said

As they walked out the door she finally let the tears fall down her cheeks


	2. Chapter 2

The rain poured down outside and Mary and Murray watched the newscast in silence. She couldn't concentrate on anything. Her boyfriend, Joe was back in town from a business trip and she couldn't even get excited about that. She loved him and in truth she needed to be with him, have him hold her and tell her he loved her. He had a way of making everything seem alright. A smile crept across her lips thinking about seeing him. But it soon faded as the newscast ended.

_And this is Ted Baxter saying Goodnight and Good news…_

Murray turned off the TV, "Well, that wasn't too bad for Ted. He only made one mistake. He mispronounced the Mayor's name."

Mary was now lost in thought and looked over at Lou's door waiting to see if would come out

"Mary, you okay?" He noticed she was quieter than usual and she had definitely not been herself since this whole thing with Lou started

She turned to Murray, "Huh?"

Murray felt so badly for her, "Mary, why don't you come have dinner with me and Marie tonight?"

"Oh, Murray that's sweet but Joe's got back in town today so I'm going over to his place." She said referring to her boyfriend.

"Good, it might take your mind off things." Murray suggested getting up and putting on his coat, "Are you ready?"

"No, I have something to take care of before I leave. I'll see you tomorrow." She said

"Well, okay but be careful, it's really pouring out there." Murray said as he walked out the door

Mary looked over at Lou's door again. She had been thinking all day and had come to a decision and now was as good a time as any to talk to him. She got up and knocked.

"Come in." Lou said

Mary came in and closed the door, "Mr. Grant I need to talk to you about something."

Lou looked up from his papers, "Business?"

Mary sighed, "Yes, it's business."

"Sit down." Lou responded

"Mr. Grant, I have been giving this a great deal of thought and I think given the situation it would be best if I look for another job."

"What situation, Mary?" Lou knew what she meant

"Mr. Grant, please don't make this harder than it already is." She pleaded

Lou could tell this was killing her, "Alright, Mary, if you feel like you should leave I cannot stop you but I presume once you find something you will give at least two weeks' notice."

Mary nodded, "Yes, of course, I just think it's time I leave WJM. In fact, channel eight approached me about a month ago and I turned them down. They still haven't found a producer to replace Mark Henson who left for the network. I think I'll call them tomorrow and see if they are still interested."

"Channel eight? Well that certainly would be a great opportunity. Please let me know once you talk to them."

Mary held back her tears; she had become good at that lately. She hoped if Lou thought she might actually leave he would have a change of heart but it appeared he was willing to let her go, "Yes, I'll certainly let you know of my decision."

"Thank you. Is that all?" Lou asked

Mary stood up, "Yes, sir, that's all. Thank you for hearing me out." She turned to leave

After she shut the door a single tear escaped Lou's eyes

Mary walked to the garage and got in her car. The rain had been coming down in torrents all night. She hoped seeing Joe tonight might make her feel better. He had been gone and didn't even know what had happened with Lou. Maybe he had some advice for her. She didn't want to leave WJM but she didn't know what else to do. She loved the people she worked with like her own family but she was sick inside and it would be better for Lou if he got someone who he felt he could really trust. No matter what he said about still respecting her as a producer there had to be a part of him that let what happened cloud his professional opinion of her as well. It was best to make a fresh start somewhere else. She pulled out of the garage and headed to Joe's . She could barely see through the rain even with her windshield wipers on. She made a turn on to Nicolette Avenue and went around the curve but the light from an oncoming car obstructed her vision and her car spun out of control and everything went black as it headed down the ravine.


	3. Chapter 3

Murray paced the floor waiting for Lou to come in. Joe had just called from the hospital. Mary was unconscious and in intensive care. He and her parents had been there all night. Lou finally came in and hung up his coat.

"Morning Murray." He said

"Lou, I've got some bad news." He said

Lou could tell by his expression that it wasn't good, "What is it?" he looked around and noticed Mary wasn't there, "Where's Mary?"

"That's the bad news," he began, "Lou, she's in the hospital. She was in a bad car accident last night."

Lou couldn't believe it, "She what?" he said sitting in her chair

"She left here last night to go to Joe's. He got back in town yesterday. He just called from the hospital. From what the police could tell, she went around that curve on Nicolette Avenue and her car spun out of control on the wet road and an on coming car's lights obstructed her view. She went off in a ravine."

"Oh my God, is she going to be okay?" Suddenly he felt the room start spinning.

"Murray sat down in his chair, "Well she's in intensive care and unconscious so until she wakes up they don't really know the extent. She hit her head pretty bad and has a couple broken ribs, lots of bruises."

Lou stood up, "Well if Joe or anyone calls from the hospital you make sure I get the call, okay? 

"Sure, Lou, whatever you say." He assured him

Lou walked into his office and shut the door. He sat at his desk with his head in his hands. How could he have acted the way he did? Sure he was hurt that Mary told Murray about his night with Sue Ann, but was it really worth ending their friendship over? Mary had always been someone he could trust. A million things went through his mind. He recalled the look on her face when he told her they were no longer friends and how painful it had been the previous night to tell him she wanted to leave. He knew he could hold grudges too long and some people could handle it. How many times had he said mean, insulting things to Ted and Ted always bounced back. But Mary wasn't Ted. Ted was full of himself and had an ego the size of Texas. She truly cared about what others thought of her and he knew she particularly valued his opinion of her. He knew she never truly wanted to hurt him and for him to be disappointed in her wasn't something she could bare. He knew he had to make things right, if she recovered. He couldn't live with himself if he didn't.

The mood was somber in the newsroom the following day. The last they had heard the previous afternoon was that Mary was still unconscious but stable. Lou was so upset he didn't even yell when Ted complained about the towels in his dressing room.

Lou came out of his office, "Hey Murray, can you type this up and get it to Ted?"

"Hi Everybody." Joe Warner entered the newsroom, he looked weary and tired

Murray jumped up, "Hey Joe, how's Mary?"

"Well that's what I came to tell you. She finally came out of it sometime last night. She's gonna be okay, she had a mild concussion but the doc says she'll recover. Her ribs will take a while to heal but she should be able to go home in a couple of days."

"Joe, that's great, just great." Murray said smiling

"I'm glad to hear that, Joe." Lou said

"Listen Lou, after Mary woke up last night we talked for a while and I know you two had some kind of falling out. She told me she wants to find another job but obviously she can't do that right now."

"Look Joe, uh…" Lou began

"Hey, I'm not here to get in the middle of this but I know it would mean a lot to her if you were to stop by and see her, even just for a few minutes. I don't know what happened but that seemed to upset her more than the accident." Joe explained

"Sure Joe, I'll…I'll go see her." Lou assured him

"Great, she's being moved to a regular room sometime today," he paused looking at his watch, "Well, I need to get going. I haven't been to the office since this happened. Her parents are there right now."

"Okay Joe, you let us know if anything changes, will you?" Lou asked

"Of course, I'll talk you all later." Joe said as he exited the newsroom

After the broadcast that night Murray and Ted stopped by the hospital. They walked down the long hallway until they found Mary's room. Joe was there having relieved her parents.

"Hi Joe," Murray said

"Hi, Murray," Joe said standing to shake his hand, "Ted," he said shaking Ted's hand

Ted and Murray turned their attention to Mary, "Hey, Mare." Murray said bending down to give her a kiss on the cheek

She had some bruises and was clearly subdued, "Hi Murray, I'm really glad you guys came."

"Hi Mare, I brought you a little something to cheer you up." Ted said handing her a manila envelope

Mary smiled, "Thank you Ted." She opened the envelope and pulled out an autographed picture of Ted, "Well, how nice."

"Yes, it is. It's one of my new poses." Ted responded

Mary and Murray exchanged a knowing look, "So Mare, they said you can go home in a couple of days. That's terrific."

"Yeah, they said I was really lucky," she paused, "So did Mr. Grant say if he was coming?" Joe hadn't told her he had talked to Lou.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll be here soon," Murray said pausing, "Well, we better get going. You need your rest."

"Oh, okay, I really am glad you came." Mary said

"We'll come back tomorrow and we'll bring you some dinner. I bet you're sick of hospital food, huh?" Murray asked

"That would be great." She was holding back her tears once again

"Good night, Mare." Murray said giving her another kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, Mare, I'll get you a frame for my photo." Ted said heading for the door, "and I really am glad you're okay."

Mary smiled again, "Thanks, Ted."

They both said good bye to Joe and left the room

Mary looked down at her hands fighting back tears. Joe came and sat on the side of the bed and lifted her head with his finger, "Hey, he still may come."

"I know," she said sighing, "You probably think I'm being ridiculous, huh?"

"No, not really. I know how close you are to the people you work with. I just hate to see you so sad." He said

She smiled a broad smile, "Have I told you how wonderful you are?"

Joe pretended to think a minute, "Not in the last five minutes."

She leaned in and he kissed her long and deep

"Excuse me," a familiar voice said

Lou was standing in the doorway. The look on Mary's face was a mix of relief and wariness, "Mr. Grant, thank you for coming by. I appreciate it."

"Well, I uh, I wanted to see how you were doing." He explained then turned to Joe, "Hi Joe. How are you?"

"Better now," he said looking at Mary, "Honey, I'm gonna go check my messages, okay?"

"Okay," she said and he kissed her again before he left

"So, uh, how are you doing?" Lou asked looking down at the floor

"Well, okay considering. I should be back to work next week." Mary said

"Oh, take your time. You come back when you're ready." Lou told her

"Thank you," she said pausing, "I still plan to call channel eight as soon as things settle down."

Lou looked at her and his heart began to melt. She looked so fragile and sad. He imagined one of his own daughters being in a wreck like that, "Mary, I…I don't want you go to channel eight." He said almost mumbling

"What did you say, Mr. Grant?" Mary asked

He spoke louder, "I said, I don't want you go to channel eight," he paused looking down again, "Mary, I'm sorry. I've been a real jerk. I was just so embarrassed about Sue Ann and I know you didn't mean to let it slip to Murray what happened. Can you forgive me for being a complete ass?"

Mary smiled again, "It's forgotten."

Lou smiled back at her, "Good," he sat on the side of the bed, "I've missed you. I mean before the accident. I missed our talks, you know."

Mary nodded, "Friends?"

"You bet." He said giving her a huge hug.


End file.
